June 20th, 1984

"You sure you're not really a peasant?" Will teased his brother-in-law as he watched Mao turn off the lawnmower, and wipe the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.

Mao chuckled. "Not for a very long time. Why, did I miss a spot or something?" he glanced back at the lawn, but his grin told Will he wasn't serious.

"No, but you're making me look bad. You did that in half the time it usually takes me."

"Why is that?" Mao asked curiously.

"Water breaks, usually," Will admitted, grinning as they both walked inside. "Or I'll get distracted by an idea and run in and write it down. If it's during the school year half the time it's because I get a call from a student panicking about an assignment." It was always something. "Sometimes it's because the kids interrupt."

"Now that I can understand," Mao said as they moved into the kitchen and Mao pulled out a glass, filling it with cold water. "There are days I do wonder how Jiu and I managed running things and raising three kids, and I had advisors and palace staff and Mom to help out. How you and Ren manage everything while both working impresses us both."

"Oh, it's not so bad," Will assured him. "You learn, and my parents were always a big help. I think it was harder to let Minxia go, and let her go to school in Creta, than having all three of them home ever was." He had never regretted giving his daughter the opportunities that had made her life what it was now, but he had missed having her around terribly, letting her go to boarding school. "I'm not sure what I'll do when they're all out of the house."

"Invite us to stay more often?" Mao suggested. "Tao certainly seems to be handling things fine at home without me."

"Do I detect a note of regret?"

Mao smiled and shrugged. "Well, it would have been nice to have given him more direction, but he learned everything he needed from me years ago, and it's really better this way. Jiu and I will go home once Xing has stabilized and has gotten used to having Tao as Emperor. It would have been trouble for him if people kept looking to me. Besides, he's still got Mom."

Mei was certainly a force to be reckoned with in her own right, and had more than enough experience to serve as an advisor and understanding ear. "He'll be just fine," Will nodded. "Any news from there while I was out?"

"Meifen called," Mao leaned against the counter as he drank. "Tao and Shan have been up to their eyebrows in negotiations and meetings, requiring the Clans to renew their promise oaths to the Empire, and settling old disputes that have cropped up again thanks to this mess. Tao has put Shan in his old position within the military officially as of last night, after conferring with the Generals, who apparently universally approved the appointment."

"As if it would be wise to argue right now," Will quipped.

"It would be unwise in the given political mire," Mao agreed. "Meifen said they also named the new head of the Tiahuan Clan at this morning's open Court. They've chosen a collateral branch of the family line, through one of Teno's grandfather's younger brothers. His name is Wousen. He's thirty, married, with four kids: one son and three daughters."

"Sounds like at least his marriage is good. What's he do?" Will asked curiously.

Mao smiled. "He's a carpenter. He owns a furniture company, but he started out building everything himself and has worked up since then. It's still all hand-crafted quality work, but he has fifteen employees working for him and ships throughout the Empire for special orders. Turns out we have a couple of his pieces in the palace. He was one of the gentlemen on Chizan's list of "potentially trustworthy" relatives that Tao asked for a few weeks ago."

"Did Meifen mention Chizan by chance?" Will asked, more because he knew Ren would have wanted to know the answer to the question if she had been here. She and Jiu were out shopping for groceries, and who all knew what else. They never seemed to run out of places to go or things to see…or buy, lately, though both were thankfully frugal.

"Only in the passing reference," Mao shook his head. "Though when I spoke with Shan yesterday he did mention they're still talking to each other. They just don't seem to have moved past the friendship they had before. Which, I admit, is all right by me. There's no rush."

"Definitely better than hurrying into something," Will agreed. Thankfully that hadn't happened with Minxia. Even he had been beginning to wonder if Thrakos would ever manage to convince her to hold still long enough for a wedding. "Speaking of hurrying, I expected the girls home by now. Do I want to know what our wives are shopping for today?"

Mao chuckled. "Outfits for Minxia's wedding."

"So what do you think?" Ren asked her daughter as she turned in a slow circle in front of Kamika and Jiu. The dress she had found was a conservative fusion of Xingese lines and Amestrian flare in a green that matched but was several shades darker than the green that Minxia had informed them was one of the colors for the wedding: a light sagey color, coupled with a light sea blue, perfect for a summer Cretan wedding, and traditional Cretan colors.

"I think it's great, Mom," Kamika breamed. "It's very flattering."

"Well that's good," Ren chuckled. She'd hate to look frumpy at her daughter's wedding, or outdone by the groom's side. She had no intention of bankrupting the family on a dress, but it was one of the few moments she missed having access to the near-endless seeming Imperial funds that she had rarely made use of as a girl. "This is going to be very formal."

"It's very elegant," Jiu smiled. She had already purchased her dress, though being the aunt of the bride, Empress or not, meant she had a little more leeway on her choice. Kamika, of course, would be wearing a bridesmaid's dress, so she was shopping more for things to wear to other events.

"But stylish," Kamika cut in again. "It's perfect Mom. It'll knock Dad's socks off."

"Well then, I'd call that selling point," Ren said, hoping that was the case. She always dressed well, and Will was always complimentary, but it had been a while since she'd had the chance to wear something that got the kind of looks she had gotten when they first started going out. She wanted him to look at her the way he had when she was twenty, or even thirty. She looked forward to modeling it for Will that night when she got home. "Well then, if that's everything, I suppose we should find where Mich has been hanging out and head for home." Her son had driven, since he had a few things he wanted to do, but had promised he'd be around the shopping part of downtown by the time they were done. They had decided to tackle the Mall for the widest variety of options.

"I think he's probably in the food court," Kamika suggested with a chuckle as Minxia stepped back into the changing room. "I saw a couple of his friends from high school over there as we were coming in."

"Then it's probably a good bet," Ren agreed through the doors. "Male friends or female?"

That got a snort out of her daughter. "Female, of course."

June 24th, 1984

"You know, it's been a very long time since a handsome young man asked me out for tea."

Franz chuckled as he shrugged. "I can't imagine why not, Gracia, but I hardly think I qualify as a young man."

"Compared to me, you always will be," Gracia Hughes smiled from across the table in the little tea shop in which they sat. "Now, what was it you wanted to ask me about that you couldn't do in the family kitchen?"

That, was the more difficult part of organizing this little meet-up; admitting the reason. Franz sighed and took a sip of his tea before he met her gentle gaze. "I wanted to ask you something that I can't really ask anyone else in the family, but I'd like to keep it quiet."

"I'm intrigued," Gracia admitted. "How can I help you, Franz?"

"I was wondering how you dealt with… considering dating someone after your husband died."

Gracia did not answer immediately. Instead, she looked thoughtful for several seconds, and stirred cream into her tea. "It was difficult," she admitted, "certainly at first. I was lonely, but there was part of me that was still in love –and always would be- with Maes. It still is," she added. "I worried about what the family would think, even though I knew that, as protective as Maes was, he would have wanted me to be happy, and to be taken care of. I worried if it would change my memories of him. There are many types of love though, and I discovered that there was nothing wrong with wanting the companionship of another human being outside of just family or entirely platonic friendship."

"Did you ever consider remarrying?"

"Briefly, once," Gracia admitted, which startled him, "But we both agreed that we were better off as good friends. That was many years ago."

"Do you still talk to him?"

"He passed away almost fifteen years ago."

"I'll…take that as a no." Franz tried not to feel embarrassed. He hoped it wasn't a painful memory either. Gracia was old enough it was likely all of her past romantic interests were dead. "And how… could you tell if someone was interested in you romantically for more than just conversation?"

That made Gracia chuckle. "The same way I did the first time… typically mediocre pick-up lines."

"I've never experienced that," Franz had to point out. He had dated regularly before Sara, and had more than one serious relationship, but he had usually been the one doing to the advancing. "Though I was told my pick-up lines were typically above average. I'm afraid… unless you count Sara, I've never been in the position of being 'the hunted.'"

"Are you now?" Gracia got to the point with her usual insightfulness.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out."

"Which is why you're here for female insight?"

"I couldn't think of anyone else to talk to," Franz nodded. "I certainly don't want to talk to my kids about this. I certainly couldn't talk to Ed or Winry… and my parents would never really understand. It's not the kind of thing we talk about, and my father's health isn't great. They don't need the stress." He fully anticipated that it could be anytime tomorrow or three years but he would eventually get the call that his father had passed. "You're the only person I thought could offer what I'm looking for."
Gracia nodded. "Well I'm certainly flattered. I suppose the two important questions I have are if you think she's really interested in you, and what you want that answer to be."

"I'm not sure, about either," Franz admitted, trying not to sound too frustrated. "I've been invited over for coffee several times, and the woman in question…well, she's been a widow far longer than I have." He sipped his tea. "Her daughter is grown, she doesn't live nearby. We… we have a lot in common. I'll admit…she's attractive. I'm flattered… if she's actually interested, but she hasn't said anything outright, and I'm half afraid to ask, in case I've misread the situation."

"Let's presume for a moment that the subject comes up," Gracia's expression had turned thoughtful, her voice speaking in a clear hypothetical, "And that this nameless woman is hoping for more of a relationship with you. What do you want?"

"That's the hard part." Franz drained the last of his tea cup, wishing for a moment it were something stronger. "I feel guilty for even considering it. It's been a year-and-a-half… and yet it seems like that's a very short amount of time. It feels…too soon, and yet like a lifetime." He wasn't sure he was explaining himself clearly, but Gracia was nodding as if she understood. He would have to trust that she did. "I know I'm not ready for anything serious again… anything permanent. What I had with Sara—I can't imagine finding that with someone else again. But as you said…that doesn't mean it's not possible to love someone differently. I just… I hadn't given it any thought until now."

"Well you have quite a lot on your mind for someone who hasn't thought about it. But then, so did I," Gracia assured him. "It's not something you have to decide immediately. You could just wait and see what develops. If she's interested, she'll make it plain eventually if you don't show signs you've caught on."

"How can you be sure?"

She smiled, and saluted him with her tea cup. "Women at that age usually don't bother to play around."

June 25th, 1984

Ted rarely found himself called into General Kane's office directly. Typically, he was under the command of Whitewater, not the Skyfire Alchemist. He'd been loaned to Shock more than once. So this had to be something big. At least, he half hoped so. He had been done with his leave for weeks, but he hadn't been assigned anything he considered interesting, aside from helping aid in finishing up the repairs of Central HQ with a little judicious use of alchemy. That, at least, had the positive effective of putting the alchemist offices back in fully functional order.

Maybe this meant he would finally be assigned to something productive. He didn't really want to go back into combat –his dreams were bad enough still from his last experiences- but Ted was tired of feeling like he'd failed somehow. Uncle or not, Franz had put both the promised reprimand and commendation in his file.

Ted just hoped this didn't have to do with the former. "You send for me, Sir," he saluted sharply as he stood in front of Kane's desk.

The General looked across that large oak desk for several moments before nodding briskly. "At ease, Proteus. You're here because I've assigned you to a new team."

New team. Ted nodded. "Yes, Sir."

Kane gestured to his secretary. "Bring them in, Smith."

The man nodded and opened the door once more.

Three State Alchemists entered the room, only one of which Ted had ever seen before.

Lieutenant Colonel Felix Tringham was a friend of the family, if a more distant one. Ted knew he had joined in the war effort against Drachma, and had kept the commission when the war ended. His skill with plants was apparently inherited, but his botanical knowledge was also useful in research.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Trevor Bass," Kane gestured to the second man; a middle aged fellow with graying hair, tall, and solidly built, though just a little soft around the gut. "The Sifter Alchemist."

"Sifter?"

"He can determine the composite elements of just about anything and tell you if it's ever been altered before, just to scratch the surface. He's just transferred in from East City."

Kane turned to the third person in the line. "Lieutenant Colonel Rochelle Wales, Deluge Alchemist. Most talented water expert we've had since Fischer and the head of this new little group. She's also an excellent tactician." Wales looked to be about thirty-five, maybe right about Tringham's age, certainly a good bit younger than Bass. Her dark hair and flint-gray eyes gave her a hard edge though. There was nothing soft about this woman.

Three Lieutenant Colonels; Ted wasn't sure if he should be flattered or worried. "So what am I?" he asked cautiously.

Deluge gave him a hard glare. "The rookie."

Ted bristled. He'd been in the military for three years, and he'd just finished duty in Xing. Okay, so that hadn't been stellar, but he was hardly new. "I'd prefer the ringer… Sir." Technically, she outranked him. They all did.

"We'll see what we can do with you." Deluge didn't look impressed. "I expect real cooperation out of all of my team members and for everyone to pull their own weight. You think you can keep up?"

Ted bit his lip just in time to keep 'try me' from coming out of his mouth. He was being tested, and after Xing he couldn't entirely blame him. "I do."

"Excellent." Kane clapped Ted on the shoulder, his grip a little firm as if he knew how tightly Ted was reigning in his temper. "I'd like you all to take a couple of days to get to know each other and practice working together before I see about assigning you to a mission together that I have in mind for you."

So there was a reason behind putting together this particular team. Well, at least they weren't likely to get assigned to some useless backwater. Though he wasn't sure he liked the snarky smile on the Deluge Alchemist's face. "I'm looking forward to it, Sir."

"Sir," the other two saluted in near unison.

"Very well. Dismissed." Kane turned and went back to his desk.

Ted followed the other three alchemists out of the room. The worst part about this assignment, was he did feel like a rookie in comparison. All of them had been military long enough that, even being State Alchemists, they had been promoted past Major. That meant they were also good… very good. Ted hoped that meant Kane thought he could live up to the rest of them. "So… what kind of ice breaker did you have in mind?"

Ted was sorry he'd asked when, less than half an hour later, he was dodging shards of ice, particularly stubborn whip-like vines, and the ground kept trying to dissolve out from under his feet as he did his best to counter each of the other alchemists in turn. Not that they were all targeting him alone, it was an every alchemist for him-or-herself battle royale on the outdoor alchemical practice grounds.

Ted ducked a flying rock only to twist and jump into the air to avoid another vine attempting to lash around his leg. He sent a jolt of ground rolling back in the opposite direction and felt a moment's satisfaction of watching Felix Tringham trip, duck, and roll out of the way.

A wrap of cold wetness slapped across Ted's face and, for a moment, he felt a twitch of panic as he couldn't see or breath. He brought up a slice of air, slashing at the water-wrap and breaking free into a forward tumble that took him several feet by the time he came back up, bringing up a wall at the same time.

Ice shattered against it.

A shout across the way came from one of the other men, and Ted had the feeling someone else was dealing with a similar problem.

"I'm out," Felix's voice called.

At least I'm not the first, Ted thought with a bit of grim satisfaction. He was breathing with only a slight heaviness. His time in Xing had honed his reflexes, and he felt battle-heightened, which was probably why he hadn't been taken down yet. None of his opponents had been in Xing; though their transfer to Central had been partially because of their involvement in hunting down Syndicate members.

His wall began to crumble, and Ted didn't wait for it to go. Instead, he sank the ground below him with sudden force, and dropped into the hole as the jet of water spurted through his dirt wall and right over his head.

Which worked for about two seconds, until the hole started to fill with water. Wrong move, Proteus. Ted cursed himself silently and pushed with the earth, launching himself back upwards, through the stream with as much force as he could muster and sending thick mud shooting everywhere.

"Damn i-gagh!" Sifter gasped as he took a face full of mud and staggered backwards, wiping it from his face. "I give," came out mildly garbled as he stumbled towards the side of the practice area, reaching for a towel.

That means it's just me and Deluge. Rochelle Wales was definitely a scary woman.

Ted landed, going for a different tactic as he used humidity to thicken the air around him, making it physically denser and using it as a shield to avoid the next attack.

Wales was grinning. "It's just you and me, Pup."

"That's Proteus, thanks," Ted quipped as he send the "shield" of air flying at her more like a discus.

She dodged it with a jump and a spin and came down, sending his own solidified humidity back at him like a boomerang.

Ted dodged, dropped, and nearly ripped himself in half in a split before he spun on his hand, bringing his legs around and coming back to his feet. Wish grandpa had seen that one. He tossed a hail of stones her way as a distraction more than anything else, and dodged to the left, hoping to find a way to flank her—

—Only to find himself falling into a mire as the ground beneath his feet gave way to a barely covered pool, and he tripped and smacked his face into it. Sputtering, he scrambled to his feet to find her standing above him, her foot coming down on his back.

"You win," Ted finally gasped, spitting muck out of his own mouth as he staggered to his feet. Okay, so Kane knew how to pick 'em. He held out his muck-covered hand for a shake.

To her credit, Wales took the hand and shook it firmly. "You'll do, Proteus," she said. "We should practice that combined mud-sling on purpose sometime. It might be a very effective deterrent when dealing with unruly crowds."

She was serious. Okay, perhaps this wasn't going to be so bad. Ted nodded. "I like the sound of that. Does that mean I've passed your test?"

"Oh no," she smiled, and it was a slightly feral grin that made him nervous again. "We've only just gotten started."

Author's Note: 6/4/2015 Hello readers! I'd like to apologize for the more sporadic posting schedule lately. Back to job hunting, summer schedule has hit, and things are a bit chaotic. I will continue to update as possible but, like last summer, anticipate a break while I catch up on chapters. Hope everyone is having a good start to June!